Black Cats v Posh – Posh Pre-Match Views

What are the Peterborough United manager and players saying about the upcoming match at Sunderland?

Posh have a break from League life as they travel up to the Stadium of Light for a Capital One Cup match. The third round tie pits the Sunderland basement outfit with high-flying League One outfit Peterborough United.

Posh boss Darren Ferguson is obviously looking forward to the match as he said ahead of tonights match: “It`s a big game for us and it`s one we want to win. There`s no point in even travelling up there if we didn`t think like that.

“It`s a brilliant stadium to play in and there should be a decent crowd. We`ve not beaten a Premier League team in my time at the club so I`d love that to change”.

Fergie will be forced to change his team selection after having two players sent off against bitter rivals MK Dons but he is confident with the players that`ll come in as replacements for the suspended duo: “We`ve looked at the red cards several times, but we see no point in appealing so others will get the chance. Gaby and Kgosi will hopefully take the opportunity to impress, while I`m pleased to be able to get Brisley back into the squad.

“The lads were fantastic on Saturday, but they were quiet Monday morning, probably because of fatigue. They trained well and they looked sharp by the end of the session so I don`t think tiredness will be a factor.”

With Sunderland disposing of managers Paulo Di Canio`s services on Sunday, the match has taken on a completely different complexion and has made things that bit more difficult for Fergie to prepare for: “Paolo had only been there six months which is not a lot of time so I am surprised they`ve made a change.

“I guess we will find out tonight what difference the change makes to Sunderland, but it has made our preparations a little more difficult.

“Their set-pieces and their formation may now be different for a start and there is often a positive short-term reaction to a change of manager.

“The players and the fans will see it as a fresh start. They`ve been losing too many games and they will want that to change as soon as possible so I`m expecting Sunderland to fly at us from the start.

“We will need to frustrate them by keeping the ball. We know we face a hard game as we are playing a Premier League side away from home, but we also know that if we play to our best we will give them a tough match.

“The start to the game will be crucial. If we could get in front I`d fancy our chances as we are such a good counter-attacking team.

“We`re in the middle of a real tough run of games and there`s a bit of travelling involved, but we`ve coped well with some difficult fixtures already and we can do it again.

“We want a cup run. In fact we want to win every game we play. We have a big squad so we can cope with the matches.”

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